Tracie Nicole Thoms (born August 19, 1975) is an American television, film, and stage actress and singer. She is known for her roles in Rent, Cold Case, The Devil Wears Prada, Death Proof, and the short-lived Fox television series Wonderfalls.Thoms was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mariana (Davis) and Donald H. Thoms, a VP of Programming at PBS and television director. She has a younger brother, Austin. She started studying acting at age 10 and later on attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University in 1997. She then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as a member of Group 30 (1997–2001), which also included actors Lee Pace and Anthony Mackie.